Interview With Delilah S. Dawson, Author Of ‘House Of Idyll’

I think a lot of us would love the opportunity to live and work with our favorite rock star, especially one we’ve crushed on and worshipped since childhood. House of Idyll by Delilah S. Dawson (Bloom; Guillotine – read our interview with her HERE) is the perfect example of “be careful what you wish for” and a reminder that things and people aren’t always what they seem.

Angelina Yves is a struggling singer/songwriter offered the chance of a lifetime to join the experimental luxury compound sponsored by the most famous band in the world, Black Idyll. With her every need accommodated, she finally has the time and space to perfect her music. Her muse? Reclusive rock star Jesper Idyll, who lives up to her every high school daydream. But this paradise has a haunted underbelly heralded by screaming horses, mysterious figures in the night, and dreams too twisted to be real. When people start to disappear and Jesper’s ex turns up dead and hideously mutilated, Angelina begins to suspect that something malevolent lurks behind the cult that’s grown around the band…

A disturbing, decadent and wickedly compelling tale of a Hollywood dream turned nightmare, Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly delicious prose will seduce you, tie you up, and never let you go….

To celebrate the release of the book, I chatted with Delilah about Jared Leto, crafting the perfect rock star, horror movies, and more!

PopHorror: I’m such a huge fan so I’m super excited to hear more about your new book, House of Idyll! What sparked the idea for the story?

Delilah S. Dawson: I saw a photo of Jared Leto in a white robe and aviator sunglasses leading a gathering of people in all-white down a beach like Rock Star Jesus and thought, “How did Jordan Catalano become an Oscar-winning, Grammy-winning, platinum-selling multi-millionaire?” And obviously the answer was a murder cult.

PopHorror: I think Jordan Catalano could get anyone to follow him. Who did you have in mind when crafting the character of Jesper Idyll? What were your criteria for creating the “perfect” rock star?

Delilah S. Dawson: Although the character was inspired by a photo of Jared Leto, Jesper Idyll is entirely himself. I purposefully didn’t do any research into Leto’s personal life; I tried to imagine the kind of rock star that anyone might fall in love with – soulful but passionate, beautiful but enigmatic, talented but still just a poetic little boy at heart.

PopHorror: Did you model Black Idyll after a real-life band? What about Angelina? Did you use anyone specific to mold her character?

Delilah S. Dawson: Black Idyll’s DNA includes the punk/funk of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the glittery intensity of 30 Seconds to Mars, the emo theatricality of My Chemical Romance, the sultry darkness of Ghost, and the dreamy power of the Deftones. For Angelina, I wanted someone who might otherwise star in A Star Is Born but accidentally found herself in a horror story instead. I needed a character who has no other choices but who does not go into this strange situation with rose-colored glasses. She sees the red flags, but she can explain them away because… C’mon, it’s her favorite teen heartthrob rock star! Every artist wants to make art and ultimately see success, so I needed someone with talent and the drive to make it happen.

PopHorror: What were you listening to while writing House of Idyll?

Delilah S. Dawson: Lots of Ghost and My Chemical Romance and the Deftones. There’s a playlist of Black Idyll-y songs on Spotify under @DelilahSDawson. When Jesper talks about a beast calling across the darkness, that song is Beware by the Deftones. It sounds to me like the last two megafauna of a species separated across a chasm, screaming to each other at the end of the world.

PopHorror: Was there anything that you were adamant about keeping in the final draft, no matter what, or was there anything that you were forced to edit out?

Delilah S. Dawson: Most of my editors, thankfully, approach my books with a “this isn’t working, please fix it” attitude rather than asking to have something specific removed. House of Idyll did not have extensive edits. Each chapter began with lyrics in the original draft, and I asked if we might be able to present them like CD liner notes, with each album having a slightly different look. I really love the way my publisher, Titan Books, made the lyrics actually look like CD inserts! Somewhere in my house is a complete discography of albums and songs, and three of the songs have full lyrics. My husband is a musician, and he created music for Pretty Boys Don’t Cry and worked with two local vocalists, Avery Britt and Jackson Lee, to bring that song to life. We’ve been using it for the trailer, and I love hearing it on my Instagram posts.

PopHorror: I love that! I’ll have to go listen. What draws you back to horror and why do you feel some people embrace the genre more than others?

Delilah S. Dawson: Before I began writing in my 30s, I was extremely anxious and had trouble going to sleep because I was too busy catastrophizing about all the horrible things that could happen to me and my family. Now I use that time and energy to imagine horrible things happening to imaginary people, and it’s so much more fun! I see something interesting, expand on it, and it almost always involves either ghosts or murder. This might have to do with the fact that I grew up in a house with domestic violence and gravitated to horror early; it gave me a chance to read about other people living in dangerous situations, to practice fear, and to be able to close the book and walk away when things go too dark. I think most of us Gen X writers read Stephen King way too early – 10 years old for Pet Sematary for me – and it messed us up deliciously.

PopHorror: I started reading Stephen King in the sixth grade and I definitely think it might have been a tad too early. The last time we spoke, I asked you what your favorite scary movie is so this time, I want to know what your favorite horror book is.

Delilah S Dawson: I can’t tell you my favorite, but I can tell you that Pet Sematary and IT are part of my horror DNA, that Watership Down is so important to me that it’s tattooed on my arm, and that I think the opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House is the most beautiful thing ever written.

Thank you so much to Delilah for taking the time to chat with us. House of Idyll is in stores now!